This invention relates to the field of material processing, such as welding, joining, cutting, inspection and the like, and more particularly to a material processing device and method.
Material processing operations, such as welding, joining, cutting, inspection, or similar operations in some environments, such as outer space, can be very difficult and require a high level of skill and training. Additionally, equipment or devices for such operations may not be easily portable and may be cumbersome and awkward to use, particularly if the user is wearing special equipment such as a space suit or the like. Further, an energy beam for cutting or welding or other emissions from material processing operations can present hazards, particularly in outer space applications.
Reliability and continued operational performance are also major factors for current and future manned space vehicles and habitats. Specifically, facilities such as the International Space Station (ISS) and space vehicles such as the Space Shuttle lack equipment suitable for fabrication, repair, and inspection operations that meet desired safety, usability and reliability constraints. Thermal control, operational, and life support fluid line systems, for example, call for equipment with zero-leak repair and nondestructive inspection capabilities. Additionally, the ISS includes exterior surfaces referred to as ISO grid skins. An ISO grid skin has a surface that has a grid of ribs, or ridges, with recessed areas between the ribs. An impact to the skin could produce a structurally weakened area, generate a hole, or create a stress crack between the ISO grid ribs and result in loss of an operational segment of the ISS unless the ISO grid can be safely and reliably repaired and inspected in space. Further, quick disconnect fittings or flexible lines may also need to be safely and reliably removed and replaced on the ISS, and spot repairs to exterior fluid lines or other repairs may need to be performed safely and reliably, as well as inspection of such repairs.